December, 2023

• 21 December

  Why China, Not the United States, Is Making the Rules for Deep-Sea Mining

  

  Summary:China is leading the international rulemaking process to regulate deep-sea mining, but Washington can still blunt Beijing’s advances (and protect the environment in the process). There are still no international rules for the nascent deep-sea mining industry, which is only now gearing up to exploit the untold wealth of the …

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• 21 December

  Israel Strikes Hezbollah Terror Targets in Lebanon

  

  Latest Developments The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck several Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon on December 20. “Among the targets attacked were several terrorist infrastructures and military sites where the organization’s militants operated,” the IDF said in a statement. The IDF released footage of the airstrikes, showing numerous targets attacked …

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• 21 December

  The Atrophy of American Statecraft

  

  How to Restore Capacity for an Age of Crisis The world has entered a period of high crisis. Wars rage in Europe and the Middle East, and the threat of war looms in East Asia. In Russia, China, and North Korea, the United States faces three hostile states with nuclear …

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• 21 December

  Cyprus ignores Russian atrocities, Western sanctions to shield vast wealth of Putin allies

  

  ICIJ-led investigation Cyprus Confidential reveals how the EU member state powered the Kremlin’s financial machine, moving vast sums for oligarchs, including after Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion. The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has long been a geopolitical crossroads, a prize contested by empires and a meeting point of peoples, religions — …

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• 21 December

  A Ukrainian billionaire’s ties to a $122 million London penthouse raise questions about the UK’s foreign ownership crackdown

  

  The Register of Overseas Entities was meant to “root out corrupt oligarchs and elites” in the U.K. real estate market, but experts say it’s falling short. Leaked documents show Ukraine’s richest person was behind offshore moves to buy a luxury penthouse in London, raising questions over why he isn’t listed …

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• 21 December

  Alleged Hamas financier holds stake in Cyprus company that mines Egyptian gold, leaked files reveal

  

  Sudanese businessman Abdelbasit Hamza — whose company holdings feature in Cyprus Confidential documents — has been accused of being “a central figure in Hamas’ investment portfolio.” An accused financier of Hamas has extensive business ties in Europe and owns a stake in a lucrative Cyprus firm that mines Egyptian gold, …

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• 21 December

  An oligarch’s chef-turned-personal assistant, a Moroccan casino mystery, and more Cyprus Confidential stories from ICIJ’s partners

  

  More than 270 journalists around the world collaborated on ICIJ’s latest investigation — here’s some of what they found in a trove of millions of leaked documents. A new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Paper Trail Media and nearly 70 media partners around the world exposed how …

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• 21 December

  Houthis Continue Threats Despite New U.S.-Led Multilateral Red Sea Operation

  

  Latest Developments Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen vowed on December 19 to continue threatening international shipping in the Red Sea. “No matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop,” said Mohammed Albukhaiti, a member of the organization’s ruling council. The statement came in response to the …

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• 21 December

  Kosovo and Switzerland, Switzerland and Kosovo

  

  The two small European mountain countries have a deep political, economic, historical but above all human relationship, through numerous personal ties. About 250,000 people belong to the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland. This is significantly lower than Italians living in Switzerland, for example. And yet it’s a high number. After all, …

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• 19 December

  Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Claims Two Of Its Fighters Were Killed In South Lebanon In Combat Against Israel

  On December 7, 2023, Saraya Al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), eulogized two of its fighters who allegedly were killed in south Lebanon in a combat against Israel. Citing a Quranic verse that promises heavens for “martyrs,” the statement, which was posted on the group’s Telegram …

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